The 2013 plan is designed to build upon previous programs, which have seen the California Energy Commission invest some $200 million. And beyond this, an additional $375.5 million in outside funds has been poured into said plans, including more than $109 million via the 2009 federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

From the $100 million California intends to set aside for the 2013 program, $20 million is for developing and producing biofuels including substitutes for diesel and gasoline; plus $11 million for hydrogen fuel cell stations, based on projections that the number of fuel cell vehicles on the road in the state is expected to grow from 350 last year to some 53,000 by 2017.

There’s $7.5 million allocated for developing charging stations, building on what already is the largest EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., plus $20 million for manufacturing facilities, equipment and working capital; $5 million for opportunities supporting innovative technologies, including advanced fuels and federal cost sharing projects; $2.5 million for workforce development and training agreements; $3 million for alternative fuel readiness and strategic planning of alternative fuel infrastructure and $3 million allocated for collaborative work in existing and new centers for alternative fuels and advanced vehicle propulsion technology.

Onward and Upward?

However, California is also facing a $16 billion deficit and Gov. Jerry Brown is under pressure to cut state spending further – including for education and public safety. At the same time voters are weighing whether to veto his proposed income and sales tax hikes this fall.

Given the state of California’s budgetary realities, the very notion of allocating $100 million annually toward alternative fuel initiatives will likely seem to represent skewed priorities in some quarters. What are your thoughts?

General Motors may still generate the vast majority of its revenues from gasoline-powered vehicles, but it is doing

Less NOx

My guess is that someone made the calculation that not spending this money would end up costing the state even more in fines for being out of compliance with Federal clean air standards. Not to mention, the state would lose all the matching funds.

But it’s nice to think that being green is a priority to the state. After all, CA did lead in emmision standards, greenhouse gas exchanges, banning cigarette butts from the beaches and plastic grocery bags in many cities, and gives HOV lane perks to EV’s and CNG vehicles (amongst other “green” measures).